EDITORIAL COMMENT: Bangladesh voters give the AL historic mandate by rejecting BNP on issue of corruption and indulgence to war criminals

The outcome of the December 29th elections that the US Ambassador in Dhaka has described before the Commisison on International Religious Freedom as “transformational “ and the most important election after the US Presidential elections of the year 2008 has been dramatic to say the least. The Awami League led Grand Alliance led by Sheikh Hasina came in front with 260 seats. The BNP that had formed the last elected government after winning a 2/3rd majority in 2001 elections won less than 30 seats which can only be described as a “drubbing”. In fact, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, the BNP won as many seats as the Jatiya party led by former President Ershad. Another important outcome has been the trashing given to the Jamaat, the Islam based electoral ally of the BNP that won just 2 seats!
The AL never expected this resounding victory that can be compared to the one won by this party in 1970 elections of Pakistan when it just lost 2 of the 169 seats from East Pakistan (Bangladesh). The BNP never expected to lose this way. In fact, by most pre-election predictions the outcome was expected to be much closer with the AL expected to be ahead, but marginally.

The 20 million new voters and the campaign against BNP’s election ally the Jamaat on the issue of the war criminals were instrumental in the AL’s landslide victory. However, it was the issue of corruption of the BNP during its last stint in power from 2001-2006 that caused such a silent anger that the voters translated into AL victory at the elections. The BNP just did not fail to understand the voters’ anger and frustration; they went ahead and nominated many of these discredited BNP leaders in the elections that only hardened the resolve of the voters. Baring one or two, all BNP candidates against whom charges of corruption were brought during the last 2 years were routed in the elections.

The history of massive mandates in elections in South Asia is not a happy one as most parties who were given such mandates in the past have managed to mess up governance. The BNP’s last tenure in office is an example of that mess. Therefore, one must wait and see what the AL makes of this huge mandate. The AL has made a good start with Sehikh Hasina keeping her people in control by urging them to remain calm. It is now to be seen whether she can make this sustainable and bring into governance elements of bipartisanship that is vitally needed for the country’s future.

The Election Commisison must be credited for giving the country a fair election which could put Bangladesh on track to making governance work for the country’s future. The BNP’s massive defeat is expected to restrain them from rejecting the election result. They now should show some common sense to work as opposition within the framework of the parliament.

December 29th Election - A Watershed for Bangladesh

US Ambassador Moriarty, in a submission before the International Commisison for Religious Freedom in Washington, said that the next elections in Bangladesh will be a watershed. It could launch Bangladesh as “a model of a relatively prosperous Muslim majority country” or it could return to the “winner-take-all obstructionist politics of previous years”. He said the stakes of USA in the 29th December elections are enormous.

There is a great deal in Ambassador Moriarty's submission that both the mainstream parties of Bangladesh should focus on for the future of the country. In a part of his submission, the Ambassador said that Bangladesh's Islamic fundamentalism is largely home grown and that they have no known links to international terrorist groups, particularly, the dangerous Al Qaeda. He nevertheless warned that if the next elections lead to a breakdown in law and order, Bangladesh could become a breeding ground for terrorists and groups wishing to operate in South and Southeast Asia.

Bangladesh is now at such a point in its history where, given the right politics and political leadership, it could become a success story within a very short time with support of its development partners led by the USA. It had such a chance not too long ago but squandered that largely as a result of the failure of politics. In 2001, the BNP had come to power right after 9/11 when USA and her allies were seeking a Muslim country to show the world that Islam is not a religion of the terrorists; that a Muslim country can have a liberal democracy. Bangladesh was ideally placed to be that nation, given its history of communal harmony where Islam, under the influence of the Sufis, had influenced its people to a degree of communal tolerance that made it stand out among the nations of South Asia. Bangladesh lost that chance because of BNP's indulgence with the Islamist forces in the country. The rise of forces such as JMB and terrorists such as Bangla Bhai that the BNP Government tolerated till it was too late damaged Bangladesh's liberal traditions to such an extent that in 2005 on a visit to New Delhi, Condolizza Rice referred to Bangladesh “as the next Afghanistan”. The AL, on its part, went abroad with that indulgence, labeling the BNP as Taliban Government. Thus Bangladesh's rightful pride as the most tolerant part of South Asia was sacrificed at the altar of politics.

The election of Barak Obama as the next President of the United States could give Bangladesh a second chance to regain its position as a Muslim majority country with a working liberal democracy if it tries really hard. It is very important that Bangladesh does so. The President-elect has put into place a foreign affairs team that suggests very clearly that he intends to send a very strong message to the rest of the world that his administration would try and regain the confidence that was lost as a consequence of President Bush's foreign policy initiatives such as the right of pre-emptive strikes and “you are either with us or against us” attitude. The new administration is clearly set to make a paradigm shift in fighting the war on terrorism where it will encourage Muslim countries such as Bangladesh to contain the rise of Islamic terrorism in their countries by projecting Islam as a religion of peace.

To be on the right side of the new US administration, the two mainstream parties must first show that they are serious about establishing democracy by participating in the elections and then accepting its verdict. The Caretaker Government must also play its part by taking an impartial role so that neither the AL nor the BNP would have any reason to accuse it of interference. Once power is transferred, the government and the opposition must cooperate for the sake of the country, make parliament functional and withdraw totally from street agitation and 'hartals'. They could begin such cooperation with a bipartisan approach on the agenda of economic development and foreign affairs.

The issue of handling the Islamist forces in Bangladesh is important for two reasons. First, it is fundamental to establishing Bangladesh's undoubted liberal traditions as a Muslim majority country in order to increase and consolidate US stakes in Bangladesh, as hinted by Ambassador Moriarty. Second, as Islamic terrorists are cornered in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, they would be attracted to Bangladesh in case politics here is ruled by conflict and agitation, with a government and opposition as loggerheads as they had been before 1/11. Unless Bangladesh wakes up to this prospect immediately, Rice's prediction about the country becoming the next Afghanistan could as well be prophetic.

Senator Obama's election is a historical phenomenon. There is hope everywhere that he would bring back sunshine to the troubled world after eight harsh winters under President Bush. Among so many positives that President-elect Obama has brought into politics, the one that is absolutely crucial for Bangladesh to take lesson from is the hand of friendship he has extended to his critics in the spirit of another American legend, President Abraham Lincoln who gave critical cabinet posts to his former critics and enemies by putting interest of his country first. Bangladesh is at a cross roads like US was under President Lincoln and now under President-elect Obama. Bangladesh's future would be assured if the BNP and the AL follows the example of Barak Obama in dealing with political opposition by putting the country foremost.

Bangladesh's Islamic basis must not be taken lightly. In fact it is the Islamic basis that gives the country hope that it could be as Ambassador Moriarty has predicted - a model of a relatively prosperous Muslim majority state for its Islamic basis has been influenced by liberal traditions of Sufism. Ignoring this Islamic basis or showing insensitivity towards it would help the cause of the Islamic fundamentalists. If the AL wins the elections, it should be careful that in dealing with Islamic fundamentalism, Islam is respected. If BNP wins, its task should be not to repeat the mistakes it made by the indulgence it gave to the Islamic forces while in power the last time. Both parties should take heed that US and Bangladesh can have a meaningful partnership if they help in moving Bangladesh “towards development, democracy and denial of space to terrorism” to quote from Ambassador Moriarty's submission.

The writer is a former Ambassador to Japan and Director, Centre for Foreign Affairs Studies.

EDITORIAL COMMENT: December 29th Elections - A Watershed for Bangladesh

The latest developments on the political scene of Bangladesh are very encouraging. Finally, the Government has announced that emergency would be lifted from the 17^th of December and from 12^th of December, restrictions would be withdrawn on political meetings and rallies. Both the mainstream parties have welcomed the decision and now there seem no more obstacles to the holding of the parliamentary elections on the 29^th of December.

Nearly two years of military backed caretaker government, under the cover of emergency, would finally come to an end. Bangladesh was created in 1971 because her people considered nothing more important than living in a free country with a democratic system of government. To establish such a country, many hundreds of thousands of people gave their lives. Thus the last two years, under a government that had suspended people’s fundamental rights, was not an experience that the people of Bangladesh were comfortable with. But then in the period around 1/11, politics had been vitiated to such an extent that the same people for whom a military rule or military backed rule is completely unacceptable, accepted the government of Dr. Fakhruddin with a quiet approval because they considered that their beloved motherland’s very existence was at stake.

Unfortunately, the reasons for which the people had given this Government approval have not been largely achieved. Corruption which was a major issue for supporting this Government has hardly been dealt any serious blow and a lot of those that the people thought would be forever banished from politics have returned. There seems to be little doubt that those who have not yet emerged on the political scene for one reason or another would do so soon after the elections are held. The reason for this government’s failure to deal with corruption effectively has been due to the fact that it went for over-kill and went after too many people with the corruption issue to be able to deal most of them a death blow. Thus although the people are happy that the military backed government is on the way out; they are disappointed and even apprehensive about the shape of things to come.

When this government went after politicians with the corruption issue, the latter were rightly upset that they went about in a manner that suggested that all politicians are corrupt. Nevertheless, the politicians must also realize that corruption did enter politics in a manner that had to be confronted and tackled. Now that government is again returning to them, let them prove that this Government is wrong by assuming all politicians are corrupt. They should not have any doubt that people generally are convinced that Bangladesh was rightfully given the title by TIB as the most corrupt nation on earth, once under the AL and thrice under the BNP. They now should deal with corruption because if they do not, Bangladesh will slide into a abyss at a time when if they do, they will not be able to come out of it in decades, given the current global economic condition.

Conversely, if the politicians cooperate amongst themselves and bring into governance a bipartisanship where the government and the opposition can come together on issues of economic development and foreign affairs, then the two years that they suffered under the caretaker government will not be wasted. To start that process, they should see that the 29^th December elections are held peacefully and when the results are announced, the loser has the spirit and courage to congratulate the winner. Once the Government is formed, the winner and the loser should make the parliament functional and in its first session, declare hartal history. If they can do this simple thing then they would be remembered in the country’s history in the same way those who laid down their lives for Bangladesh’s independence are remembered.